British and EU negotiators worked late into the night into Thursday in the hopes of presenting a last-minute Brexit deal to leaders meeting for a crunch European summit. Both sides said they were close to finding a basis for a treaty to ensure Britain heads for a managed withdrawal from the European bloc it has been part of for nearly half a century. It was also not clear if British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to sell the deal at home.

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President vows to destroy Turkish economy if Syria invasion is not resolved humanely, but brash language and diplomatic missteps draw confusionA 9 October letter from Donald Trump to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Photograph: Jim Bourg/ReutersDonald Trump warned his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “don’t be a fool” and said history risked branding him a “devil” in an extraordinary letter sent the day Turkey launched its incursion into north-eastern Syria.The letter, first obtained by a Fox Business reporter, was shorn of diplomatic niceties and began with an outright threat.“Let’s work out a good deal!” Trump wrote in the letter dated 9 October, whose authenticity was confirmed to various news outlets by the White House.> EXCLUSIVE: I have obtained a copy of ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩’s letter to Erdogan. ⁦@POTUS⁩ warns him to not “be a tough guy! Don’t be a fool!” Says he could destroy Turkey’s economy if Syria is not resolved in a humane way. Details tonight at 8pm TrishRegan FoxBusiness pic.twitter.com/9BoSGlbRyt> > — Trish Regan (@trish_regan) October 16, 2019Days after appearing to greenlight an invasion by pulling US troops from the Kurdish-dominated region, Trump told the Turkish president he would wreck Ankara’s economy if the invasion went too far.“You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will,” he wrote.“History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way,” Trump continued. “It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.”“Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!” he finished, adding: “I will call you later.”The bizarre letter was met with incredulity, with many at first questioning its legitimacy and some calling it a “joke” and an “embarrassment”.> This is insane. pic.twitter.com/ERHXoQGqUS> > — Justin Amash (@justinamash) October 16, 2019> This is